Sanctuary
by LuvIshida1985
Summary: Omi dances and drinks to forget the horrors of real life...imagine his surprise when he finds out two members of Schwarz do the same...in his sanctuary. Rated M for language and eventual yaoi. Will eventually be Omi/Farfarello. Please read and review.
1. Prologue: Dance Dance

Disclaimer: I do not own Weiss Kreuz, as happy as that would make me. I am only borrowing them for the purpose of this story.

**A/N**. okay, so I revised this chapter a bit. OOC Farfarello

**Prologue: Dance Dance**

Young and innocent. At first glance, that is what I appear to be. But I am far from innocent. My name is Omi Tsukiyono and I'm an assassin, a murderer. I'm the youngest member of a team known as Weiss; but right now I am trying very hard to forget that little detail. Here, in the club, I am just known as Omi.

I make my way across the dance floor to sit at the bar.

"Omi," the bartender, Satoshi, greets. "What'll ya have?"

"A shot of tequila and a rum and coke," I reply with a grin and a wink.

"Coming right up."

I swivel around on my bar stool to survey the dance floor and my eyebrow shoots up in surprise at the sight of the white haired Irishman, who was technically my enemy, dancing gracefully in the middle of the floor. Who would have thought that he would be at a club of all places? And to make matters worse, he looks….well, kind of attractive. My gaze sweeps over his attire in approval. He's wearing tight black bondage pants, an emerald green mesh shirt and a studded black collar; not too shabby I have to admit. 'Wait! What am I thinking?' As my gaze wanders back to his face, I am surprised to find him watching me with his one visible amber eye. I tilt my chin up in greeting and turn back to the bar, quickly throwing back my shot. When I turn back around, he is standing calmly in front of me, a smirk on his scarred face.

"Well, who would have thought," he says silkily. "A little lost kitten is sitting at the bar."

I scowl at the insult and flip him my middle finger. "Fuck off," I say coldly turning back to my drink and taking a swig to help calm my nerves. Having the Irishman so close to me was not helping any. It's not everyday that you find a crazy psychopath, who has tried to kill you on more than one occasion, standing calmly in front of you at a nightclub. 'Why me?!' I don't even have my darts in case he tries anything with me. I shiver at the thought of what he is capable of. I swivel back around and he is still standing there just looking at me in that unnerving manner of his.

"What?" I ask in irritation as his eyebrow rises in surprise at my attitude.

"Hostile aren't you?" he replies in amusement. I just glare at him.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with psychopaths at the moment," I reply and push past him onto the dance floor and walk smack dab into someone's chest. Startled, I look up and see a very familiar shock of red hair.

"Well Bishounen," says Schuldig. "What are you doing in a place like this? Did you get lost?"

"That's none of your fucking business," I snap. I'm starting to get irritated, and I'm beginning to think that I should have just stayed home tonight.

"My, my. Aren't we touchy," he teases.

"No! I just don't want to deal with you guys. I come here to forget about my life as an assassin, not to be reminded…" I trail off and sigh. "Oh never mind." I walk back to the bar and gracefully fall back into my seat and take a large gulp of my drink. It would be my luck that the only place I can be myself and pretend that I am not an assassin is the same place that two members of Schwarz would also come to.

"Soooo, little Omi likes to forget his worries by drowning them in alcohol. I never would have known by looking at you," Schuldig says as he walks back up behind me. I look up and meet his gaze for a brief second before turning my eyes out onto the dance the floor.

"So what," I mumble more to myself than to him, my eyes never leaving the mass of tangled limbs and sweaty bodies that were moving about under the bright flashing strobe lights. "And just what are you doing here anyway," I demand in frustration, my anger from earlier returning at the thought that my only sanctuary is now being invaded by my enemies.

"The same things as you, chibi," the redhead says. "You don't think you're the only one who wants to escape from the realities of real life do you?"

I freeze at that. It's true. I didn't even think about that. These two men are just the same as me. They are hired for one purpose only and that is to kill. Since they were deemed Weiss' enemy, it naturally didn't occur to me that they didn't actually enjoy what they were doing. But looking at them now, I haven't the heart to feel anger towards them anymore. I look carefully at both of them, weighing my options over in my head. Slowly, I hold my hand out to them.

"Then I think that while we are here, in this place, we should simply be human beings. No Weiss. No Scwartz. Not enemies. I am just Omi, a boy who likes to drink and dance." I stand there waiting for the two assassins to make up their minds about my impromptu proposal. I am hopeful that they will see it for what it is, a truce of sorts, and except it for my sake as well as their own. After a few moments of staring at each other in contemplations…I'm positive they're having a conversation that I'm not privy to…both men step forward, hands extended.

"Schuldig, but you can call me Schu."

"Farfarello." I eye him warily for a moment before taking his hand. Truth is, he makes me incredibly nervous. I have seen him in action enough to know that he plays by his own rules and not by anybody else's.

I smile uneasily at both of them. Then I turn back to the bar, gulp down the last of my drink, and order another. As soon as it arrives, I head out onto the dance floor, stopping briefly to look back at both men.

"Well, are you going to dance with me or what?" I ask with a smirk. "And don't try anything funny…especially you" I say pointing to Farfarello to make my point. He just gives me an unnerving smile before glancing at Schuldig and then back at me.

They grin at each other and follow me out into the see of twisting limbs and human bodies. I smile to myself. At least for the time being, I can still forget and enjoy myself. I still have my sanctuary…and in it, two new dancing partners.

**A/N**. okay, so I just found this story in the back of one of my drawers and decided that it definitely had some potential. I'm not really sure where I am going to go with it from here, but I definitely have some thoughts about the possibilities. I'm thinking I might maybe like to make it an Omi/Farfarello pairing (granted Farfarello is not going to be nearly as insane as he usually is). I'd like to know what you think though. Please review and leave me any ideas/suggestions that you might have.


	2. Chapter 1: The Quiet Things

Disclaimer: _Standard Disclaimers Apply._

**Chapter 1: The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows **

I sigh as I lean back into the steaming hot water that I've just filled my tub with, hissing slightly as the liquid comes into contact with the recent cuts on my thighs and forearms. I know what you're thinking, and no, these aren't from a mission or accident. They're just my own pitiful attempt to make sure that I am, in fact, alive and not just having a terrible nightmare. It's a bad habit, I know, but I've come to depend on it like a plant depends on water and sunlight. It distracts me from my emotions. It gives me physical pain to replace the emotional pain that comes with this complicated mess that is my life. I sigh again and think back over the last few weeks.

It has been eight weeks since that very odd night that I spontaneously decided to initiate a truce with two members of Schwarz. At first, it was simply inside the club that we followed this truce; but then I found myself running into both men outside of said club. I would be walking downtown and there they would be, and then we would walk together and talk about nothing of consequence. I sometimes wonder is these meetings are accidental or if the two of them plan them in advance.

I suppose I should be more suspicious of their motives, but I can't honestly bring myself to care. We have formed a tentative friendship of sorts and I am very eager to see what comes of it. I enjoy their company, the idle chatter, the stupid jokes…all of it. I can be myself around them and not worry about them judging me for any of the terrible acts that I have committed. They seem to feel the same as me because I find myself running into them more often after that initial meeting.

We have even exchanged cell phone numbers. I haven't actually called either of them, but Schuldig has made is a habit of calling me almost daily. I think he does it just to be annoying especially on days following my absence from the club, usually due to missions or research that I had forgotten about until the last minute.

I tense slightly as I hear the other members of Weiss. Their laughter echoes down the hallway from the kitchen, mocking me. I'm glad they're all in good moods today; it means that I won't have to work as hard as I usually do. I can put my mask on half way and, in their eyes, be the same happy, go-lucky kid who always makes things better for them. It gets awfully tiring after awhile. Being that happy all the time is very hard work, especially when I am actually anything but happy. I always listen to my team members when they need to talk, give them advice when asked, and keep them from falling too deeply into the depression and darkness the lurks just around the corner for all of us.

"But what about me?" I whisper to myself. What about me? Who listens to me when I need to talk? Who gives me advice? Who keeps me from falling into the darkness when I can't handle it on my own? Why I do, of course. Yep, some team I have here. They take and take and take some more, but they can't even be bothered to return the favor. And why should they? I'm so happy and innocent what could possibly be wrong with me? Sometimes, I hate the mask that I put on for them to see; but seriously, if they cared enough to look, they would see immediately that things are not as they seem. They would notice that those trademark smiles of mine don't quite reach my eyes, that my laughter is just a little too strained and that those arm warmers or long sleeve shirts I've taken up wearing, aren't just a fashion statement. We all have our fair share of problems, I know that, but it's not like I want them to fix me or anything. I just want them to listen to me when I need someone to talk to or even just offer me a shoulder on those very rare occasions that I actually allow myself to shed a few tears.

Shaking my head to clear it of such depressing thoughts, I go about cleaning myself off, the water turning a rosy pink as I scrub dried blood from myself. No use dwelling on these things, it's my own damn fault after all. When the water starts to cool I pull the plug from the drain and move to get out of the tub. I quickly dry off and wrap a towel around my waist as I make my way down the hallway and into my bedroom, just as my cell phone rings. I pick it up lazily and flip it open.

"Hey," I say, already knowing who is on the other end.

"Where have you been kitty cat?" the redhead asks me teasingly. "I have sorely missed your presence in my life…and so has Farfie," he adds with amusement lacing his voice. I snort and sit on the end of my bed.

"It's been two days, I'm sure you haven't missed me that much."

"Oh! You wound me Omi!" he yells dramatically. "Of course I've missed you! How could you doubt me? Where have you been anyway?" he asks again.

I sigh tiredly. I've been doing research for a new mission. Mr. Stick-up-my-ass Fujimiya has been on my case about it all week. Of course, I don't tell Schuldig this; he doesn't need to know all of the details of my life or anything about my missions. We are still technically enemies after all, so some things should remain unsaid between us.

"I've been around," I respond vaguely. "Now, is there a reason that you have called me or can I hang up on you?" I ask as I hear footsteps in the hallway coming closer to my bedroom. It would not be good if my team found out about these phone conversations with the 'enemy'. Schuldig huffs into the phone.

"How rude! I was just calling to see if you'd be at the club tonight. It's so very boring without you." I chuckle slightly.

"Why? Is Farf boring you? Oh well, don't you worry. I'll be there. Bye." I hang up on him just as the footsteps in the hall stop and a knock sounds on my door. I scramble into some sweatpants and pull a long sleeve tee shirt over my head before opening the door and coming face to face with…

"Aya, what's up?" I ask cheerily.

"Have you finished that research yet?" he asks in that icy voice that he is so fond of…well, only with me these days. He sounds friendly enough when I hear him interacting with Ken and Yohji. I raise an eyebrow and nod.

"Yeah, hold on." I rummage around my desk briefly before turning back to the red head with the files he was referring to. "There ya go." He takes the stack and looks at me intently.

"You seem a little distracted lately," he says glancing at the papers. I just stare at him and wonder where the hell he is going with this. "Whatever it is, fix it. We can't have you distracted on missions or you may become a liability to the rest of the team," he orders before marching off down the hall again.

'What the hell!' What does he mean by that. I mean, sure I've been a little distracted in the flower shop, but honestly, does he think I'm stupid enough to carry my problem our into the field. I know better than that! I've been trained by some of the best assassins around and I do know how to siphon everything else out and focus solely on the mission. For god's sake! I've been doing this for a lot more years than Mr. Stick-in-the-mud has!

"Geez, lighten the fuck up, Aya," I mumble as I turn toward my closet. As I open the door, I hear more laughter from the kitchen. Must be nice to be so comfortable with each other, almost like a family. I suck in a deep breath at the pain I feel at the thought of a family and dig my nails into my thigh. I cringe at the loud holler from Yohji asking the other two boys what they want for dinner. 'They're never like that with me' I think bitterly. They ask me how my day was, ruffle my hair like one might a little brother, and occasionally tease me about the girls that come into the shop to make doe eyes at me. They might even chuckle or laugh at the jokes I make in an attempt to cheer them up, but they never treat me like I'm actually a part of their little "family". Then again, I'm also not in a relationship with any of them.

They might think that I'm ignorant, but I know that the three of them are involved in some sort of romantic relationship. It's an odd little love triangle, but not totally unexpected. I mean really, who better to date than the very people who know the darkest side of you; the people who know what it's like to kill someone with your bare hands and then turn around and pretend to be something other than the killer that you are?

I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of their relationship. They are lucky to have discovered their feelings for each other, whether it just be lust or love or something in between. It must be really nice to know that there is someone waiting for you at home at the end of the day. Someone who won't be disgusted with you because of your profession. Someone who won't find it odd when you take an hour long scalding shower to wash away blood that only you can see. Someone who will hold you through the night and comfort you when nightmares leave you terrified to close your eyes again.

I, on the other hand, will never have someone like that. I'm the biggest emotional wreck in Weiss even though I don't act like it. I take all of my anger, frustration, sorrow, and even some of my memories and lock them up tightly in a very dark corner of my mind. I've hidden the key so well, that some times even I can't find it. I'm numb, completely and totally numb. However, some of these feelings do occasionally escape that prison and that is when I cut myself, to put those emotions in check. The physical pain lets me forget about the emotions that I have no desire what so ever to deal with; and to be completely honest, I enjoy the scars that it leaves behind. They're kind of like battle scars, they show that I'm alive and that I can survive anything. My body now reflects the scars that I bare on my mind and soul. I shake my head.

"Ok Omi, enough thinking like this." I quickly push all of those thoughts to the back of my mind as I go about choosing an appropriate outfit for the club tonight. After styling my hair, I do a quick inventory of my new cuts and tend to a few deeper ones that insist on still bleeding. Once these are taken care of, I carefully pull on my black arm warmers, followed by a simple red t-shirt and a pair of tight blue jeans. Slipping my phone, wallet and keys into my back pockets, I head excitedly back toward my sanctuary.

* * *

I grin as I make my way toward the bar and the obnoxious German that is holding a drink out to me. He bows theatrically before handing over the glass of amber liquid. Mmm, Galliano. It's fast becoming my new favorite liqueur, probably because Schuldig favors it so much. You know what they say, you spend enough time with someone and you eventually start emulating some of their habits. 'This habit happens to be incredibly delicious' I think as I take a sip and let it roll around on my tongue for a minute.

"Hey there Omi. I'm so glad you've graced us with your presence….finally," he says pouting.

"I'm so sorry my personal life interferes with our club time," I joke. "But seriously, you know how** it** goes. It's been a rough two days," I say softly while looking past Schuldig's shoulder. "Hey Farf," I add upon seeing the single amber eye fixed upon me. He nods in greeting and raises his glass slightly before taking a sip of whatever concoction he has decided to drink tonight.

"So now that you have me here, are you gonna dance with me or what?" I ask dryly. The red head grins and, once again, gives a theatrical bow.

"As you wish kitten." He grabs my hand and drags both me and Farfarello out onto the dance floor. I sigh in relief, the tension slowly starting to drain from my body. This is exactly what I need. The more time I spend away from the club, the more I realize how much I need it. Although, to be completely honest, I don't know if it's the club I need or the company of my two companions.

Schuldig and Farfarello are a mystery to me. I know as much about them as they do about me, which isn't much. Whenever we do talk, we don't delve into anything too personal. It's always weather, music, fashion, general interests…anything but the facts of our jobs and pasts. Even with the little bit that we do know about each other, the ease with which we conduct ourselves around each other amazes me. I mean, if you had told me two months ago that today I would be comfortable walking down the street or dancing in a club with a one-eyed Irish psychopath and a redheaded telepath, I would have laughed in your face and called you crazy. That doesn't change the fact that it's true though. I have a sense of…well, I'm not sure really. Acceptance maybe, or belonging. Whatever it is, I know that I am definitely more at ease with these two 'enemies' than I am with my own team mates. That, in and of itself, should tell me something. I'm not sure what it all means though.

However, thinking too much on that topic only makes me more confused than I already am and gives me a headache. So, for the time being I concentrate on nothing but the sweetness of my drink, the steady pulse of the music and the two bodies that are dancing with me in the throng of nameless faces. Right now, these are the only things that matter. Everything else can wait for another day.


	3. Chapter 2: Breathe In, Breath Out

_Standard Disclaimers Apply._

**Chapter 2: Breathe In, Breathe Out**

"Breathe Omi, breathe," I tell myself as I struggle to regain my breath. I hate nights like these. We haven't had a mission in a couple of weeks now, but I've constantly been having these nightmares about the night I was forced to kill my brothers. After all these years of dreaming about a family, I had finally found them, only to find out that they wanted nothing whatsoever to do with me. They were the masterminds behind these terrible experiments and hunting games that Weiss was assigned to put a stop to.

Thinking back on it, no wonder my team has been so distant towards me. It was hard enough finding out that I was really Mamoru Takatori but then to find out that I was the son of the man who had murdered Aya's family, well, that was even worse. They did end up coming for me that night, and Aya said that I was Omi Tsukiyono not Mamoru Takatori, but he still treated me differently afterward. I was a constant reminder to him of that terrible tragedy in his life and no matter how much Aya said he accepted me, it really wasn't okay. I could just tell by the way the whole atmosphere in our apartment has changed.

Sucking in another deep breath, I fumble around in the drawer of my nightstand until my fingers close around cool metal. Drawing out the razorblade, I push my sleeves up and place the blade to my forearm. I sigh in relief as the pain makes itself known and my breath begins to even out. Placing the blade on another unmarred patch of skin, I make another long gash across my wrist. 'Much better.' I easily push the dream and the feelings and thoughts it brought out to the back of my mind with everything else that I choose not to deal with. That dark little corner is gradually growing in size; but as long as I don't have to feel or think about any of it, I can live my life as expected. I can continue to be that happy, go-lucky boy that everyone sees from day to day.

I jump in surprise as my phone rings and I accidentally knick the skin by my elbow. I scramble to grab my phone and look at the brightly lit display. Schuldig! What the hell! It's 3 a.m., why is he calling me and this hour?

"Hello?" I answer tiredly.

"Hey Kitty Cat! What's up?" Schuldig says cheerily.

"Schu, it's 3 a.m.! Why are you calling? Are you drunk?" I ask slightly amused on top of my grumpiness.

"No, of course I'm not drunk," he drawls before he's cut off and a new voice replaces the Germans.

"Sorry Omi," Farfarello apologizes softly. "I turned my back for five seconds to open the door." I chuckle.

"It's okay. I was awake anyway. Did you go to the club tonight?"

"Yes," he sighs. "Schuldig drug me out with him because he thought I had nothing better to do." I laugh out loud at that. It's such a Schu thing to do.

"Yeah, that sounds like him,' I laugh glancing down. "Well, I'm gonna go let you deal with the drunk then," I say quietly, eyeing the blood that was slowly dripping onto my sheets. "I'll see you around."

"Goodnight," Farf replies as I hear a crash, a curse in what sounds like German and then the phone goes dead. I chuckle again as I stand up and make my way to the bathroom. Locking the door, I turn on the warm water and get a towel from under the sink. I quickly wash the blood from my arm and assess the damage. Nothing too bad, the knick by my elbow is a little deep, but nothing to worry about. A band aid for a few days will solve that for me. Finishing damage control, I figure that I might as well get dressed and be productive since I'm definitely not going back to sleep tonight.

As I walk down the hall, I hear soft moans and grunts coming from Aya's room. Great. Just what I want to listen to at 3 a.m. I quickly enter my room and throw on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. I wrap a plaid scarf around my neck to ward off the evening chill, grab my wallet, keys, and laptop, and head toward the back door. Shoving my feet into my boots, I start the short walk toward the twenty four hour café down the street. 'Thank god for this place', I think to myself as I turn left and walk up one block. The nice thing about not sleeping well, is that it gives me an excuse to go sit in my corner booth and indulge in my favorite coffee.

The bell above the door chimes as I walk in and deposit my things in the back corner booth that, at this hour, has become mine. I smile as I walk up to the counter.

"Hey Jeremy, what's going on?" I ask the tall, American kid behind the counter.

"Hey Omi. Pretty dead in here tonight. You having your usual?" he replies with a smile.

"Yes please! I'm in desperate need of caffeine. Better add an extra shot of espresso to that."

"You got it. That's $4.95. Go have a seat and I'll come take my ten minute break with ya."

"Awesome. Thanks Jer." I make my way back to the booth after paying and plop down into the comfy leather seat and stretch my legs out.

"So what's going on Omi?" asks Jeremy as he sits down across from me and slides me my white chocolate raspberry mocha.

"Not a thing. Couldn't sleep again so I figured I'd come at least be a little productive," I say as I motion to my laptop and take a large gulp of my coffee. "How's Daisuke doing? I haven't seen him around here in awhile." The other boy smiles fondly at the mention of his boyfriend and gets that dreamy look in his eye that is usually associated with someone so deeply in love that there is no coming back.

"He's good. Should be coming in later actually. He's been visiting his parents in Kyoto." He gives me a sly look as he finishes his reply. "How about you? Any new prospects I should be aware of?"

I chuckle. "Not really. My love life is pretty non-existent at the moment. I'm too busy with all the work I have to get done on top of working. Although…I might have my eye on somebody," I add thoughtfully.

I haven't told anybody about this, but lately I've been finding myself attracted to Farfarello. Yeah, I know. Didn't peg me for the liking the silent crazy type, did you? But, since I've started spending more time with both Farfarello and Schuldig, I've come to realize that he's really not quite as crazy as we have always believed. And he does speak, but only when he has something worthwhile to say. Jeremy just cracks a big grin.

"Well?? Do tell! Who is this mystery man? What's he like? How'd you meet? I want all the juicy details," he exclaims excitedly. I just smile at him, used to his antics.

"His name is Farfarello. He's kind of the silent, broody type. We've actually been…ah…rivals, of a sort, for quite awhile now but I met him and his…roommate at the club a little while back and we… I guess you could say we resolved our differences." I take another sip of my drink as he lets that information sink into his brain.

"Is he hot? What's he look like? Have you guys gone out?"

If you haven't already guessed, Jeremy turns into a hyperactive school girl when (a) his boyfriend is mentioned or (b) his friends mention a potential new love interest. Daisuke often comments on how annoying it can be but I find it incredibly amusing.

"Yeah," I chuckle. "He's definitely pretty hot. Totally not my usual type but there's just something about him. He's got spiky white hair and amber eyes…and he has a tendency to where spikes and chains," I add as an afterthought.

"Oooh, kinky! Listen, I gotta go man the register, but I want to know as soon as anything happens between you two," he says as he winks at me and stands up. "You should totally get him down here so I can meet him and give you my stamp of approval," he adds as he walks back to the counter.

"I can try, but I make no promises," I call after him as he greets the man that just walked in. I sigh and boot up the trusty lap top. Research time, oh boy. I shove an ear bud into my left ear and crank up my iPod as T.M. Revolution begins to play. I pull a large envelope with our new mission data in it and grab a textbook to cover up my research. I probably shouldn't be doing mission research in such a public place, but hey, if I haven't learned to be stealthy in my profession then I shouldn't be doing what I do.

As I wait for my internet browser to load up, I contemplate what Jeremy had suggested. Maybe I should try and get Farfarello to come out for coffee or something. He strikes me as the type who doesn't sleep much. And I know he was awake about an hour ago. Hmmm, decisions decisions. It might be a little weird if I did call him now. I mean, I've never actually called him before. Usually Schu calls me and then just passes the phone if need be. Eh, what could it hurt though? At worst, he'll be sleeping and won't answer the phone or he'll say no. Really, what harm could it do to ask? I fish my phone out of my back pocket and scroll through my address book until I find his name. I stare at the screen for a minute, and taking a deep breath, hit the call button. I hold my breath as I listen to it ring once, twice, and then…

"Omi?" I hear the familiar, slightly accented voice.

"Hey Farf. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No. I just finished getting Schuldig into bed. Did you need something?"

"Um, well, I was just wondering, if you weren't tired that is, is you wanted to meet me for coffee. I couldn't sleep so I'm out now,' I reply nervously. I hold my breath again as I wait for him to reply.

"No, I'm not tired. Where are you?"

I smile widely. "At The Hot Spot. It's down the side street at the corner of 7th and 8th."

"I know where that is. I'll be there shortly," he replies with just a hint of, at least I'd like to think, a smile in his voice.

"Great! I'll see you soon. Bye."

"Bye."

I grin widely and sit back in relief. That had gone better than I'd thought it would. I glance at the clock behind the counter and Jeremy raises his eyebrow at me in question.

"He's on his way," I call happily. He blinks at me and then a grin, mirroring my own I'm sure, breaks out across his face.

"Well you work quickly! I've taught you well," he jokes as he hands an elderly woman her change.

I laugh and turn back to my laptop to keep myself busy until Farfarello gets here. I put my ear bud back in and begin the tedious task of hacking into some major corporations' human resource files to find all of the information on our current target that I can possibly get my hands on. So far I'm not getting much, but that could be because I'm glancing up every time someone new steps through the door. Finally, I get myself under control and force myself to concentrate solely on the mission in front of me. I'm so engrossed in my task, that I don't notice when a body slides into the seat across from me and I jump when they clear their throat. I glance up into a bright amber eye and, glancing at the clock again, I blink in surprise. Had I really been working for twenty minutes? And so engrossed that I didn't notice Farfarello's arrival? I must be really tired, something I will have to rectify lest Aya start lecturing me about my sleeping habits and the importance of not making stupid mistakes on a mission because I'm tired.

"Hi," I say stupidly, still in a slight daze as I quickly move the text book I've brought to cover my mission file and notes. He quirks an eyebrow at me but makes no comment.

"Hi."

I open my mouth, most likely to say something stupid again, but am saved by Jeremy popping up beside us with a wide grin plastered to his face.

"Hey, can I get you a drink?" he offers as he, not so subtly, rakes his eyes appraisingly up and down Farfarello's form. The Irishman just glances at him and then looks to me.

"Do you want another?" he asks, motioning to my almost empty cup.

"Sure," I reply with a small smile.

"We'll take another one of those and I'll have a large coffee please," he softly orders.

"Got it. Be back with that shortly," Jeremy chirps with another grin in my direction before bouncing back to the counter. I chuckle at the look on Farf's face when Jeremy leaves.

"You'll have to ignore him. He's always like that. When you come here as much as I do, you get used to it. Although, I think he might be on a sugar high…" I trail off as the Irishman chuckles softly. My eyes widen slightly. I don't think I've ever heard him laugh before (I mean besides the evil laughs he gives when Weiss is facing Schwarz), not even when we're at the club and have had several drinks. It's a pleasant sound that I would not mind hearing again.

"So…" I'm not really sure what to say. I hadn't thought that far ahead when I decided to call and invite the man out for coffee at 4:30 in the morning. "Schu had a good time tonight huh?" I ask just to say something.

"Apparently. He hit the dance floor as soon as we arrived. The next thing I know, he's doing body shots off of some guys stomach."

"Wow!" I reply in shock. "He must have had a rough day. He usually doesn't lose control quite that much." No matter how rough things get, Schuldig almost always stays in control of himself, never allowing himself to get so drunk that he can't control his own actions or draw too much attention to himself. We're distracted from our conversation by Jeremy returning with our drinks. He also slips me a piece of folded paper and winks at me before walking away again. Letting my curiosity getting the better of me, I unfold it at laugh. It's a drawing of a heart with "Jeremy's stamp of approval: he's totally hot!!!!" written in the middle of it.

"Gee, thanks Jer," I call to the American once my laughter dies down a bit.

"No problem," he salutes me and turns back to his dishes.

"Sometimes, I just don't know what to do with that boy," I say, turning my attention back to Farfarello.

"What did it say?" he asks, blinking curiously at me.

After a moment of silent deliberation, I slide the note across that table to him. He unfolds it, blinks, and then chuckles for the second time in one morning.

"I think that boy is just a little too excitable about some things," he says, looking thoughtful. I nod in agreement and finish off the last sip of my first coffee so that I can start in on my new one before it cools down.

We spend the better part of two hours just sitting in our booth talking about life in general and whatever other topics happened to pop into our heads. At one point, Daisuke showed up and joined us for a short time before being dragged off to the back room for, what I assume, was a quick make-out session with his boyfriend. Glancing at the clock, I let out a soft curse.

"Shit! Is it really 6:30? I have to get going. I'm supposed to open up the shop this morning which means that if I want to get everything done that needs to be done I have to be there in…twenty minutes," I explain to Farf as I go about shutting down my laptop and packing all of my things away. He nods in understanding.

"Alright. I know that you can't be seen with me by your teammates, but do you want me to walk you part of the way back?" he asks with a little bit of, I think, nervousness in his tone.

"I'd like that," I say with one of my trademark smiles (only this one is actually real…not like those other ones that I force onto my face for the sake of those damn girls that come into the Koneko). I finish packing my things up and we stand and head towards the door calling out a goodbye to Jeremy on the way out. We walk in a comfortable silence as we make our way towards the flower shop. Pausing about a block from my destination, I turn to the Irishman.

"Thanks for walking me all this way. And thanks for meeting me for coffee at like 3 a.m. Most normal people wouldn't even consider an invitation at that hour," I say quietly.

"It's not a problem. I don't usually sleep more than a few hours each night. I enjoyed your company," he replies, looking me in the eye to show his sincerity.

"I enjoyed your company too. Next time I find myself unable to sleep and end up there, I'll keep you in mind." I shuffle my feet a little self consciously and turn to walk the short distance left to the Koneko. "I will probably see you and Schuldig at the club tomorrow night. I have…things to do tonight but I'll need a reprieve from real life tomorrow." I start walking but a gentle tug on my sleeve has me turning back to meet amber eyes…well, eye.

"Call me whenever you would like. I will be glad to listen if you need someone to talk to or meet you for coffee again, despite that boy's odd excitement." I chuckle at that comment. Jeremy is a lot to take in sometimes.

"Okay. Thanks Farf. I'll see you later."

"See you later," he says before we both turn and walk our separate ways. I can't help but smile as I make my way back toward my apartment. Who would have guessed that an impromptu 3 a.m. invitation to coffee could turn out so well? Maybe there is hope for something more happening between us after all. But, I'm getting ahead of myself here. We shall just have to wait and see. Only time will tell. Even so, I still can't help the fluttery feeling that has formed in the pit of my stomach nor the large grin that refuses to leave my face. Today is turning out to be a wonderful day and nothing, not even those stupid fan girls, are going to ruin it for me.


End file.
